Reported by:
Yee Sue Wei Sr1ScB
From May 28 to June 3, 2023, a weeklong national training camp for IESO 2023 (International Earth Science Olympiad) and IGEO 2023 (International Geography Olympiad) preparation was held. Previously, 73 Earth Explorer Competition top-scorers were invited to participate in the Malaysian Earth Science Olympiad, and 16 students with outstanding performances from all over Malaysia were chosen for the national training camp. Despite three students being unable to attend for personal reasons, 13 Malaysian students participated in the MyESO national training camp, including students from Kuching, Bintulu, Ipoh, and Johor.
The official webpage for Earth Explorer Competition https://myeso.com.my/
After checking in to their assigned hotel room, the 13 students settled down in Urban Living Residence to take a rest from their long journey to KL. Later in the night, A 2-hour briefing session on the formats of IESO and IGEO was hosted online.
Day 1: Oceanography lessons with Dr. Rabitah
The first day officially started with a warm welcome and brief introduction from Dr. Rabitah, who specialises in physical oceanography.
Students were introduced to the fundamental elements of oceanography, including ocean dynamics, ocean surface circulation, and tides. With Dr. Rabitah’s help, students were able to grasp challenging concepts like how Ekman Spiral drives coastal upwelling.
The afternoon session consisted of hands-on activities such as exploring various interactive sites to prepare students for the Data Mining Test in IESO, and learning how to operate certain oceanography props.
Earth Nullschool visualises the Earth’s wind, weather and ocean condition
windy.com an interactive digital map
As the lessons were over, I had the opportunity to share a brief interview session with Dr. Rabitah. When asked about words she has for aspiring oceanographers, she highlights that despite the ocean covering 70% of the Earth, it remains largely unexplored. Surprisingly, we have more knowledge about space than the ocean. Thus, there is much more to discover in the vast realm of the ocean.
Other than that, she stated that ocean acidification, which is caused by unrelenting carbon emissions worldwide, is the current and biggest threat to ocean health. Carbon dioxide gas that dissolves in seawater decreases its pH value making the ocean a much tougher condition for animals with carbonated-based shells to survive. This alters the building blocks and chemical composition of the ocean and threatens marine biodiversity.
Day 2: Geophysics lessons with Dr. Diana
The second day of the camp consisted of a fruitful session shared by Dr. Diana, who’s currently a lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
Students gained an in-depth insight into the Earth’s composition and structure, as well as the discontinuities within its interior. The thrilling part of the day was operating props used by geophysicists during fieldwork, such as wind detectors.
Hands-on activities of the day
Day 3: Geology lessons with Dr Nadwa and Mr Low Keng Lok
On the third day, students gained insightful knowledge of Geology and the geologic time scale from Dr. Nadwa from UTP and Mr. Low Keng Lok.
It was a day all about rocks, ranging from rock formation to types of minerals found in different types of rocks, to learning to identify rocks and minerals based on their characteristics. Getting exposed to Dr. Nadwa’s exquisite collection of rocks and applying the knowledge to identify them was probably the most fascinating part of the day!
The wide array of rocks
While the afternoon session mostly consisted of us getting introduced to the geologic time scale, which is the “calendar” for events in Earth’s history.
Day 4: Astronomy Lessons with Mr. Afiq
With a celestial globe in his hands, Mr. Afiq from UKM started day 4 of the training with a captivating astronomy lesson. In his interactive lessons, key concepts of positional astronomy and the motions of celestial bodies were introduced.
Once again, students got involved in the practical part of learning how to operate a telescope in the afternoon. Although the practicals can only be held indoors, this didn’t diminish our enthusiasm for finding fun in observing the ceiling fan and sights outside the window.
Day 5: Meteorology lessons with Dr Hidayah + Final Test!
For the last lessons of the week, meteorology lessons were conducted online due to the lecturer Dr. Hidayah was unable to attend physically as she tested positive for Covid.
At the same time, the super nerve-wracking moment was awaiting the students: the final test. It will be used to evaluate and determine if the student were to be part of the national team to represent Malaysia in IESO and IGEO.
At 3:15 pm, students underwent a 3-hour test based on what we learned at this week-long camp. Time quickly passed us by, and the end was slowly creeping in.
Post-final test
The night before parting ways, I got to interview some of the attendees.
They stated that the best part of this camp was meeting new friends and old friends. “It’s refreshing because there are not many people like this in my school, like there are literally people who skip classes to play football.” Also, some described this camp as where “you just study, eat, sleep and have fun. You get to learn things together with your friends, and make progress as a team”.
When asked upon memories that they cherish the most, they laughed that it was most definitely when they tried cutting rocks with a kitchen knife, and how they tried tasting rocks (specifically a metamorphic and foliated schist).
Well, here comes the moment where saying goodbye is inevitable. After parting ways, this marks the end of the 2023 MyESO National Training Camp.
On a more personal note, days here will forever be a part of me. Meeting incredible people from diverse backgrounds, whose contagious enthusiasm and brimming liveliness never fails to spark a light within me.
From the bottom of my heart, I wish all of you the very best, until we meet again someday!